China has long pursued growth by public spending, even after the payoff has faded. Cities stuck with the bill are still spending — and cutting essential services.
The world’s harshest Covid restrictions exemplify how Xi Jinping’s authoritarian excesses have rewritten Beijing’s longstanding social contract with its people.
China wants to fine-tune its stringent pandemic restrictions to reduce the disruption to daily life caused by lockdowns. But officials are still taking few chances.